Help our colleagues continue to produce great arts journalism
In my last outing, I thanked all of the growing number of Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism individual donors for helping us to raise over $40,000 for this year’s budget during our holiday fundraiser. As I wrote the piece, however, I was reflecting upon the interviews I do with DigBoston intern candidates three times a year. In which I stress to each and every one of them that this era of American journalism (nay, world journalism) is one of collaboration between journalists … not competition. How could it be otherwise, given the rolling collapse of the news industry? After all, if we don’t help each other, why would anyone else?
At that point, I remembered our colleagues at the Boston Hassle—a fine news organization that since 2011 has strictly focused “on underrepresented, independent & underground music/art/film scenes and communities in Greater Boston and New England at large, and the often marginalized cultures that comprise and support them.” Basically a DigBoston-like newspaper with a BINJ-like organization run by younger people than most of BINJ’s or the Dig’s top staff.
The Hassle, too, started a big fundraising drive during the holidays like BINJ did—BINJ, for those of you not keeping score, being the reporting nonprofit run entirely separately from the commercial newspaper DigBoston, though said entities are led by the same principals. The two crews helped each other out, too. Each providing the other a free fundraising email blast to our main lists in November. But BINJ raised more than the Hassle did. So far.
Yet the Hassle needs generous supporters at least as much as BINJ does. And am I not, I continued thinking to myself, regularly lamenting the near-total lack of support for BINJ or DigBoston from larger Boston news outlets (that pretty much to a one look down their noses at us and hope we fuck off and die before we scoop them again despite having a tiny fraction of their budgets and staff)? Long past time to break with the cycle of disrespect between larger and smaller news outlets then, yes? Perhaps leading by example might even inspire the Boston majors to at least start inviting us to their parties; so we no longer have to just crash them.
So, I could mention Hassle in my BINJ-focused “yay, thanks for all the donations, fam!” column. Or I could do a special column focusing on the Hassle. Word, I decided, concluding my reverie, best to do the latter.
As such, I now invite readers to join me in donating whatever you can to support the vital work of the Boston Hassle on the occasion of their big 10 Year Anniversary Fundraiser: gofundme.com/f/boston-hassle-10-year-anniversary-fundraiser/.
Thanks for helping out! Here are some words from the Hassle crew; so you all know exactly how much they need to raise and why they need to raise it:
Boston Hassle’s 10-year anniversary is upon us, and to mark the occasion we are kicking off a fundraiser for our arts & culture reporting. Hassle with us, donate to our fundraiser, help us pay our staff, participate in our decision-making process, and continue to reap the benefits of free, accessible local journalism.
We want to raise $10,000 to have as an operating budget for local journalism in 2022, which means that we have to account for fees with this fundraiser (hence the $12,000 goal). Boston Hassle has been an institution and catalyst of DIY culture in the Boston area for 10 years, and we want to continue that legacy for at least another 10 years. Please help us accomplish our goal.
As a reward for your kindness and generosity, donors to this fundraiser are eligible to get access to Boston Hassle’s new LISTSERV and Resource Guide at a discounted rate compared to our Patreon, as well as many other exclusive perks like our donor newsletter and merch.
In addition to our perks, we are capping off our fundraising drive with an “Archive-a-thon” wherein the Boston Hassle crew will get together and archive the Boston Hassle in a singular hallowed physical manifestation for the good of all posterity.
Apparent Horizon—an award-winning political column—is syndicated by the MassWire news service of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism. Jason Pramas is BINJ’s executive director and executive editor and associate publisher of DigBoston.